Gov. Abbott asking public for assistance in paying to bus migrants to Washington, D.C.

AUSTIN, Texas — The office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is now asking the public for donations to help pay for charter buses transporting migrants to Washington, D.C.

Donations are now live on the Office of the Governor’s website, including options for payment by mail.

According to the governor’s office, as of April 22, a total of 10 buses have made their way to D.C. from Texas. The buses have included voluntary migrants from Angola, Brazil, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.   

“Thanks to the State of Texas, President Biden will be able to immediately meet the needs of migrants he is allowing to cross our border by busing them to his backyard,” said Gov. Abbott last week. “The Biden administration’s failed efforts to secure the border are appalling. By busing migrants to Washington, D.C., Texas is sending a clear message: we should not have to bear the burden of the federal government’s inaction to secure the border, and the Lone Star State will do whatever it takes to keep Texans safe.”

Title 42 allowed the government to expel migrants at the border illegally without offering them opportunity to request asylum or other humanitarian protections.

On Tuesday, a federal judge in Louisiana said he would temporarily block the administration from ending the policy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced earlier this month that the Trump-era pandemic restriction would be lifted on May 23.